


That Damn Sunrise.

by Piripulix300



Series: Sanji-centered one shots [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Caring Roronoa Zoro, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, POV Roronoa Zoro, Sad Sanji, Sanji feels, emotional sunrise, for once, sanji - Freeform, sanji being worried, zoro being nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 15:50:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12436140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piripulix300/pseuds/Piripulix300
Summary: Zoro wakes at night to find that someone is on the ship. Someone who's a bit lost in thoughts.About sleepless nights and major life-changing questions.





	That Damn Sunrise.

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo everyone ! I'd just like to warn you that this is not my first fic in English (I'm French), but if you find any error do tell me. I appreciated corrections.  
> 

Zoro woke up with an uneasy feeling.

Yesterday's battle had left him restless and wanting for more. The fight had been short and epic, and the crew had gone to sleep early. Zoro had followed without grumbling because Chopper had made  _that_ face again, and now he regretted it.

He was still tired from yesterday's battle yet his guts had woke him up. He was sensing something unusual from the deck. He knew he had to go check what was going on before going back to sleep, or he would never find peace. Plus, it was his job to protect the crew in any situation. He stood up, grabbed his katanas without thinking and went straight to the deck. He was careful to be as silent as possible so that any enemy on their boat would be taken aback.

He opened the door slightly, peered outside and froze. There was a figure leaning on the railing. It was bent over the barrier and... talking to someone? Shit. Was that an assault? Zoro was receiving waves of emotions and he retreated behind the door. There was something going on outside, someone was talking to somebody and either they were frantic about attacking, either extremely terrified. Zoro smirked. In a minute they wouldn't be frantic anymore. He unlocked his katanas.

 

He slammed the door as he opened it. The figure jumped a bit, still clutching the railing, but did not show any sign of attack. Zoro realised his error when he the smoke came to light. It was the cook, smoking outside. The swordsman lowered his arms, deceived from the lack of fight.

"Shit marimo, warn a guy next time" Sanji's voice rose from where the figure was. It was very dark tonight, no wonder why Zoro couldn't see him before knowing it was him. The need for a fight, the sleepiness and the misinterpretation of his intuition had made him look like a fool. However, tonight, Sanji did not seem to mind.

"You on the watch?" Zoro asked as he started walking toward the cook. Sanji actually scoffed.

"Ha. No. Franky is. But I suppose he fell asleep since he did not come to see what that was all about. Why did you try to break the door down, anyway?"

Zoro shrugged his shoulders and Sanji went back to look at the sea. He was looking down as if he expected something to bump on the ship at any time which was... quite unusual. When Zoro happened to catch the cook on the deck at night -yeah, that happened a lot more than expected-, the blond guy was always in the same position. Leaned on the railings and looking at the horizon, not always with a cigarette in his mouth. Zoro suspected the guy to simply be enjoying the view. He liked finding the cook on the deck at those moments because it meant that the cook could like other things that submitting himself to his hormones. Tonight was different though, he seemed distant and nowhere near his usual self. Zoro's guts were not wrong when telling him that something was wrong. Sanji looked pathetic and was probably feeling like it too.

The words where out before Zoro could stop himself.

"Were you talking to someone?"

"Is that why you blew the door open? To find who I was talking to?"

A pause. Zoro was not embarrassed. His cheeks were.

"Not if you weren't. Talking to someone, I mean." He replied. That was a bit childish but it would do. Surely, Sanji let the subject fall with only a smirk.

"There's only me."

Silence fell once more. Sanji seemed calm. Something was bugging Zoro and he couldn't shake the feeling. The sea was calm and his Nakama was reflecting this blue peacefulness. The sun was about to rise. Shadows were disappearing in favour of a smooth light, not too bright yet as the sun has not appeared. Sanji's lines were a bit tense. He was still staring at the hull of the ship. Anytime now, the sun would rise and Sanji would miss it.

"Do you need something?" Asked the cook suddenly. "Booze? Snack?"

"No."

"So why did you came here?"

Zoro went for the truth. He needed explanations.

"Because I felt something wrong. Tell me what you are doing here."

"I can't sleep."

"Cook. That's half the truth and you know it."

Sanji held his hand to his chest. The other one went to retrieve the cigarette from his mouth, allowing him to blow smoke and probably calm himself a bit.

"If I can't fight anymore, who will do?"

"Did you took a blow?" Zoro was concerned now, but Sanji shook his head.

"Calm down you big father hen. Chopper already took care of us, remember? I'm fine."

"Obviously you're not. Not all injuries are visible, you know."

Sanji raised an eyebrow at that, eyeing the swordsman with interest. Zoro stared at the horizon. He was starting to feel anxious that Sanji would only laugh at him. But on the rare occasions they would meet on the deck at night and actually talk, Zoro always seemed to be calmer, and Sanji always more sensible. It was as if night brought with it an appeasement powerful enough to calm spirits. Or maybe it was the sea producing this effect on them.

"I'm... I'm afraid to... become a burden."

Zoro couldn't speak. Sanji took this as an invitation to keep on.

"There was a pirate, yesterday. I knocked his ass off, sure, but he had time to... swing his sword very closely."

Sanji withdrew his hand from his chest, revealing a small cut in his suit. It was close -too close- from his heart. The cut was precise and Zoro understood that Sanji must have had backed off at the last time. Zoro instantly knew how he could have missed this. It was impossible to see when not looking very carefully.

"Well, he didn't get you." Zoro admitted.

"He didn't...? Dammit Marimo, that's not the point to focus on!"

"What should I say? You won."

"He almost!"

"No, cook. You won." Zoro cut him before Sanji could continue. He knew where this was going and he was having none of it. "That's what you should focus on: victory. There is no "wh at if" in a battle. Either you win or you lose."

Sanji looked at him as if the swordsman had swallowed a school of living fish.

"You won, you get to see another day. You get to know that you're strong enough for this world. And you learned a lesson, next time you'll be better and more focused."

"You mean that this battle was good after all?"

"Obviously, yes."

Sanji smirked, took a drag of his cigarette and went back to watch the ocean. Only this time, he was not looking at the dark hull of the ship. His eyes had lifted to the horizon. He was scanning intensely in the distance, now waiting for the sun to appeared and to shed light on them.

"Baka marimo. You 're unbearable."

"Yeah, sure. 'Cause you're not."

Both men fell in a comfortable silence. Sanji's hand rested on his chest, brushing slightly the place where is fabric was sliced. The light illuminated his face by layers.

Usually, he would stitch up any cuts in his suits, almost by routine. Now he was wondering if he would do it this time or not.

 


End file.
